Maroons, Royals fit to be tied

The best thing to happen the Larkin girls soccer team Saturday was a late-morning storm.

The best thing for Elgin might have been the Royals taking the lead.

Larkin scored twice less than 7 minutes apart after a 46-minute weather delay to tie the game in the first half. Elgin's Riti Chokski scored with 1:45 remaining in the second half as the Maroons salvaged a 3-3 tie with Larkin at Memorial Field.

"They knew what they had to do," Elgin coach Cesar Rosales said of his team after falling behind with 10 minutes remaining. "It was just a matter of pulling it off."

The Maroons (2-6-1, 1-3-1 Upstate Eight) got 2 goals from senior Maricela Ramirez in a 11/2-minute span early in the first half to take a 2-0 lead. The first goal came after Ramirez blocked an attempted clearance from Royals goalkeeper Anna Goodlove about 25 yards from goal. Ramirez ran onto the ball in the penalty area and had an empty net to put the ball in with 29:34 left in the opening half. She added her second goal with 28:19 left.

But then the rain, thunder and lightning came. The game was delayed with 19:20 remaining in the first half at 10:29 a.m. and restarted 46 minutes later at 11:15 a.m.

Larkin (4-9-3, 0-2-2) had a free kick about 30 yards from the end line and near the right sideline. Kelli Johnson sent the ball toward the Maroons' goal, where goalkeeper Yesenia Meza got her hands on the ball, but was unable to possess it. The ball bounced to the Royals' Amanda Shelton, who scored just 6 seconds after the game restarted.

Angie Larson tied the game with 12:43 left in the half with a left-footed shot from 15 yards out.

"I really didn't say too much (during the weather delay). They knew themselves they had to pick it up," Royals coach Ken Hall said. "Getting the early goal helped."

The Royals dominated play much of the second half, but Meza kept the Royals from taking the lead until there was 10 minutes left. That was when Johnson converted a penalty kick to give Larkin a 3-2 lead.

But with 1:45 left Chokshi ran onto a ball in the left side of the Royals' penalty area. Chokski was able to beat Goodlove on the Maroons' only good scoring threat of the second half.

"We had to chances to put it away," Hall said. "When you have those opportunities you have to put them away or else something is going to happen like a deflected ball. You have to take care of business and we certainly didn't do that today."